I’m very happy that the tourist boards in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Fort Worth ponied up the money to pay for Michelin to recommend restaurants and hotels in these big cities; at least $90,000 annually from Houston First here. I’ve used Michelin for restaurants, mostly, with great success over the past quarter-century, largely in Europe. It’s a staple of my travel planning. Though it is unlikely to change my dining habits here, it can be a great boon for restaurants recommended in the guide. And I believe it will help increase the quality of the dining scene here.
 
Though obtuse in practice, Michelin’s stated guidelines for which restaurants deserve inclusion in its guides are “based on five universal criteria, to ensure each destination’s selection equity: 1) quality products 2) the harmony of flavors 3) the mastery of cooking techniques 4) the voice and personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine 5) consistency between each visit and throughout the menu (each restaurant is inspected several times a year).” In practice, the level of service, décor along with an appropriate beverage list are also key. That last usually means a decent array of wines.
 
There are currently 152 restaurants cited in Michelin guide for Chicago, so I think that Houston should get at least half that total, as Chicago is bigger metro area, with more much more ambitious set-course establishments, and practiced in satisfying the Michelin inspectors. Also, the quality of service is generally higher than there, a weak spot for the area dining scene, a point re-emphasized with a recent visit to The Blind Goat, which had a few issues, and where the waitstaff was quite earnest but painfully amateurish: slow to clear finished plates, slow to clean a spill, drinks brought to the wrong table, and more. Not unusual.
 
Having fun speculating, I’ve come up with a list of area restaurants that might make the initial Michelin guide based on experience at Michelin-recommended spots including last month in Italy and France, perusing through entries in New York, Chicago, DC, and California, and a few that are hopeful on my part based on my terrific luck at them. There is a soft spot for studied cute and quirky, at least for the Chicago guide, so I have a few. And Tex-Mex might not come to mind for a Michelin guide, but New York even has a Tex-Mex spot, regarded for its “wild boar with grits,” so I think Houston can garner at least one Tex-Mex spot.
 
My lists below are deficient in Chinese and some other Asian eateries, as the Michelin will likely also be.
 
Stars – Listed in order of the likelihood of garnering one, at least one.

• Le Jardinier – Its siblings in New York and Miami have stars and another in Geneva has two. The Robuchon-legacy cuisine still resonates and service is as good as it gets in Houston. The setting at the MFAH is not too shabby, either.
• Katami – Chef Manubu Horiuchi, arguably the top chef in Houston, has a beautiful setting in which to shine for sushi and much more. Shine it certainly does.
• March –The best of breed of the quartet of pricey set-menu-only restaurants that came on the scene in 2021. One of the most ambitious in the area, this is staffed by a very capable and broadly experienced team led by executive chef Felipe Riccio that can pull off Michelin-starred-quality creations inspired by top restaurants around the Mediterranean.
• BCN – Provides locals with a very well-executed glimpse into Spanish fine dining that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in the traditions of Barcelona. The kitchen is headed by Chef Luis Roger, who had years of experience in kitchens in his native Catalonia including a stint at El Bulli, which will get the reviewers attention.
• Navy Blue – Executive Chef Jerrod Zifchak arrived from New York where he was the last one at the Michelin-starred Café Boulud on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, succeeding Aaron Bludorn in that role. Notably for the cuisine, Zifchak also had four years in the kitchen at Le Bernardin, widely regarded as the top seafood restaurant in the country. There are other impressive CVs on staff here, which quickly shows upon entry and with the first drink, as service is noticeably professional.
• Little’s Oyster Bar – Pappas Restaurants did something it’s never done before with this spring newcomer, hire a top chef to head one of its kitchens, when it enticed Jason Ryczek who had been the executive chef for several years at Farallon, one of San Francisco’s leading seafood restaurants, to move here. Bringing a fresh and seasoned perspective to the space that housed popular Little Pappas Seafood House for over three decades, it now boasts one of the very best seafood restaurants in the entire Gulf Coast.
• Uchi – Terrific in several locations, this Austin-bred sushi spot excels across the board, highlighted by an approachability and comforting service that might belie the culinary excellence.
• Neo – Another omakase concept from alumni of Uchi, this is more than sushi and fish. The setting is also different, quite interestingly, in a menswear showroom. It can be tough to get a ticket, and very pricey one at that.
• Ishtia – The successor to eculent in Kemah that garnered national attention – Tom Sietsema, longtime restaurant critic at The Washington Post had an uneven meal in 2019, but thought it was “tastier overall than the experimental Alinea in Chicago,” which carries three Michelin starts. It’s also the type of multi-course type of spot that Michelin likes.
• Alba – This is a stretch, and I am not sure what is going on since the Borlenghi’s sold the Hotel Granduca where the restaurant resides. But Maurizio Ferrarese, hopefully still at the helm, is one of the very best chefs in the city, in my opinion. He’s been a beacon for excellent truly Italian food since he came to Quattro downtown a dozen or so years ago from Il Palagio, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Florence where he was the chef de cuisine. A couple of summers ago, I attended a dinner at Alba for sixty to seventy people, nearly all Italians. The five courses were terrific, even more impressive given the size of the dinner. It was better than any of the meals I have had in nearly a month spent in Italy over the past couple of years, dining very well. That dinner even impressed the Italians.

 
Inclusion – Listed in alphabetical order. The ones for Bib Gourmand are listed separately, below.

• Amalfi – One of Houston’s very best Italian restaurants
• Amrina – Indian in The Woodlands that got a somewhat recent rave from longtime Los Angeles food radio host Evan Kleinman in the Wall Street Journal, which might help garner proper notice.
• Andiron – Steaks done differently, from the grill not the broiler, in one of the most handsome dining rooms around coupled with an expansive, lust-able wine list, if geared toward those paying with an Amex Black Card.
• Auden – One of 2023’s top newcomers is a neat spot that is intriguing and adroit in a lot of ways.
• Backstreet Café – A bistro for Houston that has been around for decades
• Bari – Excellent, truly Italian food from a seasoned hand, Renato Di Pirro
• Benny Chows – Cheeky and expensive for what it is, this is bolstered by a seasoned named chef who churns out terrific food. Now, Jett Hurapan, of Songkran and Gigi Huang’s. And Michelin seems to have a penchant for rewarding Chinese restaurants not frequented by Chinese.
• Bludorn – Could get a star because the team worked in the Michelin-starred Café Boulud in New York. I don’t think it is star-worthy based on my two visits, though.
• Bori – Houston’s fanciest Korean spot, dishing steak, something, locals and travelers, like
• Brennan’s – The Houston-accented Creole grande dame seems it is a good as it’s been in any time since Danny Trace was lured away to Jim Crane’s ventures in 2017.
• Carrabba’s (Kirby and Voss) – The two original spots of this national chain turn out vibrant, crowd-pleasing Italian-American fare, the best in Houston, with welcoming, very efficient service that have been drawing throngs of folks, many of whom can dine anywhere they want, since the 1980s for a reason. But Michelin doesn’t seem to reward spots like this, as far as I can tell.
• Caracol
• Da Gama
• Da Marco
• Davis Street
• El Tiempo – Possibly. Once dishing the city’s best Tex-Mex, it has suffered some as it has expanded to a number of location, many too many, a fate that befell Ninfa’s before. But those fajitas.
• Etoile
• Eunice
• Flora – New York’s Michelin guide recommends a Tex-Mex spot in New York. This is certainly better – speculating, of course – and also attractively set dishing attractively presented local favorites.
• Hamsa
• Hidden Omakase
• Hugo’s
• Jun
• Kau Ba – Funky and proficient with a good story that has garnered some national attention
• Kata Robata – Maybe even a star given the quality what comes out from Hori’s kitchen and sushi counter
• Killen’s STQ
• Kiran’s
• Lucille’s
• MAD
• Maison Pucha Bistro
  
• MF Sushi
• Musaafer
• Nancy’s Hustle – Should be, will be star-worthy in the future once the Michelin reviewers understand the city and restaurant better.
• Nobie’s
• Ostia – This American-Italian does things quite well and from a restaurateur with tenure in two Michelin bastions, New York and San Francisco, who knows what might need to be done for it.
  
• Pacha Nikkei
  
• Pappas Bros. Steakhouse – The city’s best traditional steakhouse(s) can even load a filet with flavor and has one of the country’s best an most expansive wine lists.
  
• Potente – An expense-account diner across from the ballpark has one of the city’s top chefs, Danny Trace.
  
• Riel
  
• Roost – A slightly quirky spot that largely flies under the radar for most local diners highlighting the personal cuisine of chef-owner Kevin Naderi, something that Michelin might like.
  
• Rosie Cannonball
  
• Soto
  
• Squable
  
• State of Grace
  
• Street to Kitchen – Though I haven’t been impressed as many others in my nearly ten meals here, I think it’s received enough buzz to gain inclusion.
  
• Tatemo
  
• The Lymbar
  
• The Marigold Club – From the team that brought us March and Rosie Cannonball with a former top toque at Tony’s with a focus on demanding, well-heeled diners. Might be too new for inclusion, though.
  
• Theodore Rex
  
• Tony’s
  
• Tris – A bastion of quality in The Woodlands
  
• Uchiko
  
• Vic & Anthony’s – Possibly a reach and, yes, it is a Landry’s restaurant, but it is one of the city’s best steakhouses; here, you don’t have to apologize for visiting a Landry’s property.
  
• Xochi
  

 
Bib Gourmand – “Good value. Good value cooking”; separate from the above lists. Based on other cities, maybe two-thirds of recognized Houston restaurants could be Bib Gourmand places. Listed alphabetically.

• Blood Bros. BBQ
• Crawfish and Noodles
• Cuchara
• Elro – This place is excellent, with a very well-rendered, unique menu from an experienced chef with New York-tuned chops along with fun cocktails and a very well-chosen small list of wines.
• Ema – Cute, quaint and earnest
• Feges BBQ
• Fung’s Kitchen – Maybe it might not be as good as before the fire a few years ago that shuttered it for a while, it is still a go-to for dim sum and Hong Kong-style seafood.
• Goode Co. Kitchen and Catina – The area’s top Tex-Mex spot from an estimable restaurant family, these certainly deserve inclusion.
• Goode Co. Seafood – Quite a bit better than good and the best rendition of locally attuned seafood rooted in the past of the region.
• Himalaya – This approachable, fun stop for Indo-Pakistani food has long been a favorite for locals and national film crews for a while for good reason.
• Josephine’s
• Killen’s BBQ – The area barbecue joint that began the barbecue renaissance still smokes top-notch beef.
• Mala Sichuan – The Chinese restaurant that has received the most press from the non-Chinese language media plus the food is quite good in its several locations and a quality beverage list at the Bellaire Boulevard original.
• Pinkerton’s BBQ
• Pizzana – Has one in Los Angeles and this place is quite proficient.
• Pondicheri
• Poscol – Marco Wiles’s spot has been a welcome stop for something a little different, small plate-style that’s much more Italian than typically found here.
• Saldivia’s – A wish for me. This humble, family-run Uruguayan steakhouse has been turning out the best value steaks in the city for nearly three decades in its various iterations. Their entraña, a skirt steak, ever before adding some more of their terrific chimichurri, has been easily much better than steaks I’ve had at pricey steakhouses like Brenner’s, Andiron, and Georgia James in the past year.
• The Breakfast Klub
• The Pit Room
• Truth BBQ – The brisket here is confirmation that it is world-class fare.
• Tiny Champions – This place is great, and more than just the city’s best pizzeria; excellent cocktails, pasta and more.
• Winnie’s – In the Chicago guide, there is Ina Mae’s, a New Orleans-inspired po boy-centric spot, so Winnie’s could make it. There’s some skill at this seemingly humble place.

A spread at Nancy's Hustle

The hamburger I picked up the other day from Underbelly Burger in Spring Branch was quite disappointing, most notable for the overcooked patties and listless buns that made for a lame sandwich and even putting it in fast-food level to me, albeit at more than twice the price and much less of the  convenience. During its first year or so in operation in the farmers market on Airline, Underbelly Burger was one of my very favorite burger joints. I overlooked that their odd, twisty, thick-cut fries were always undersalted and unsatisfying, but the burgers were outstanding in both of the beef choices.
 
The shake was quite tasty again on the recent visit, and the staff remembered straws, thankfully, but again in the bag for takeout, no napkins. That, with the charging for small packets of ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise, it gave the impression of a restaurant cutting corners, or just not that adept at service. That was certainly my impression with the short-lived Mexico City taqueria concept, Comalito, with its slow, often inept service, very cheap utensils, small, thin napkins not up to the job and food that was uneven in execution and in fairly restrained portions. It seemed expensive for the total product, for a place I really wanted to like. I wasn’t that surprised to learn that it had closed quickly.
 
Now down to Underbelly Burger, Wild Oats and Georgia James, Underbelly Hospitality is a shadow of its former self. Chris Shepherd left two years ago, in July 2022, and the restaurants that remain are far less interesting and a diner is far less assured of an excellent meal, something once taken for granted. My last meal at Georgia James featured a surprising amount of gristle in the steak and a martini bizarrely served in a tulip-shaped glass. Once my favorite local steakhouse, it is now beyond consideration. The modern, overly masculine décor of its current location appalled my oft-charming dining companion, and not that she’s ever been accused of being too dainty. The soulless plaza where the restaurant sits off W. Dallas and Dunlavy probably contributes to the mood. It did not help another briefly lasting effort, Pastore, which served an American-Italian cuisine. That restaurant suffered greatly in comparison to Ostia just down Dunlavy serving similar fare, but exhibiting a much greater understanding of  and interpretation of the cuisine while executing far better.
 
It is good to remember what Underbelly was and became. Juxtaposing many of the city’s ethnic cooking traditions with an emphasis on those from Asia onto a menu and often on a single plate and usually succeeding in dramatic fashion brought chef Chris Shepherd deserved national acclaim. And that spotlight has helped shine more light on other local restaurants and chefs. Underbelly, boisterous and confident, interesting and extremely competent, also helped show that a meal built around small plates can work well. It led to other restaurants, most notably the ones in the One Fifth series, somehow excellent in each of several concepts and cuisines ranging from a steakhouse, a mash-up of French, Spanish and Italian dishes, Levantine and Persian, Gulf Coast seafood, and finally a chef-y Italian-American. Underbelly lead to a broadly similar, still outstanding UB Preserv and Georgia James from a One Fifth start, becoming a top local steakhouse stalwart.
 
Chris Shepherd was not the only top chef to leave. Others in recent years include, notably, Nick Wong at UB Preserv and Tim Reading at Georgia James Tavern, who had also been the executive chef at Caracol. Both of whom thankfully have remained in Houston and will be opening new places soon. Others like Ryan Lachaine at Riel and Patrick Feges at Feges BBQ left years ago. The kitchen talent at the restaurants in Underbelly Hospitality seems much less than it once was. This helps explain some of drop off in quality and probably some of the turn to much safer directions.
 
Underbelly, etc., gone but not forgotten.

One of the wonderful compositions at Underbelly back in the day

In the glass case facing the street at a picturesque old butcher shop in the heart of the small town of Nizza Monferrato, I saw something I had never witnessed in three trips to Piedmont, steaks, a display of attractive cuts of beef steak. Piedmont is very proud of its Fassona beef – it’s now a protected product, IGP – something that’s advertised on seemingly every restaurant menu but never, almost never, in steak form. As a typical steak-loving American, I have found this very odd.
 
What you’ll find there is mostly carne crudo, brasato and bollito misto. Carne crudo is a popular antipasto. Light-tasting yet flavorful, I’ve big a big fan of that minced, raw beef or veal from the Fassona cattle that is often dressed just with some excellent Ligurian olive oil, and maybe shaved white truffles in the fall, for a nice bump to the bill. Carne crudo is the Piemontese take, and a tastier one for me, on the French steak tartare and a regular order for me when there. Brasato is a cut of roast that’s braised in red wine, Barolo sometimes, more often a cheaper bottle and the resulting dish is rich and unctuous when done well like I had recently in Turin.
 
Bolitto misto is an array of boiled meats that I’ve managed to miss in my trips to northern Italy; it’s a cold-weather preparation, in part. During my last trip to Piedmont a few years earlier, in the exhibit hall in Nizza Monferrato where we had lunch and a wine tasting, there were banners announcing the annual festival the upcoming Sunday for the prized beef: “Fiera del Bue Grasso e del Manzo di Razza Piemontese.” One of the winemakers at the table explained that the culinary attraction of the event was boiled beef. I was rather surprised. Disappointed, too, and asked if there was any regional tradition of cooking steak with this beef. A touch embarrassed, he said no and could not think of any place in Italy other than Florence and environs that typically prepares steaks as part of its cuisine.
 
That’s been my understanding, too. That Florentine steak culture resulting in the large cuts of bistecca alla fiorentina, is a result of a strong and specific British influence, which other areas did not have. British troops supposedly introduced it to Florence in the mid-19th century and the throngs of British tourists for decades to there and nearby Tuscan countryside – Chiantishire – helped stoke demand and create a legacy. Though Piedmont had cows like Tuscany, if maybe not nearly as many, it had far fewer British tourists.
 
Steaks and steakhouses are becoming more popular in Piedmont, I was told by my host at Produttori del Barbaresco, if slowly. When it appears, it is often with beef from elsewhere, Scotland, Argentina or Japan. That probably has something to do with that Fassona breed, too, according to her. That cattle provides exceptionally lean meat which makes well-suited for being served raw. Conversely, that lack of fat, intramuscular fat, less so for steaks.
 
As an American visiting Piedmont, for your regular beef consumption, you will have to be content with cool, raw beef or richly braised in red wine. Boiled, too, I guess. Beef for dinner can actually be very enjoyable even when it is not broiled or grilled in thick juicy, meaty cuts.

Was in luck to visit Monferrato and the Langhe during white truffle season a few years ago. Carne crudo dressed up.

I recently returned from a trip to Piedmont: Turin, Monferrato and the Langhe, with plenty of wine on the agenda, and more on the table and afterwards. One of the winery visits was to the historic and well-known Pio Cesare, which is best known for its Barolos, and is the only winery left in the delightful town of Alba. The general, public tour and tasting we had booked was very entertaining and definitely recommended. Our guide, Davide, did a terrific job over the two hours or so.
 
One of the interesting things he pointed out in the subterranean cellars built around Roman ruins was a bottle from the first vintage packaged like that for commercial sales, from 1916, which was shown next to one from a recent release, 2018. The bottles were nearly identical. This might be a part of the winery’s success over the years, work from a graphic artist: an attractive and recognizable label, and then name, that is easy to remember and discern when shopping for wine.
 
Branding can be very important. From the worlds of consumer foods and dining, there are the Keebler elves, Frosted Flakes’ Tony the Tiger, the Pillsbury Doughboy, the Coca-Cola logo, and McDonald’s arches to point out a few of the most well-known. Pio Cesare is not nearly in the same category in terms of consumer recognition, but its products are much more enjoyable, and natural, to be sure.